The present invention relates to a method for driving a pointing device of a computer system with the pointing device such as a digitizer and a touch pad.
A digitizer is used in a computer aided design (CAD) system or a graphic display computer system for drawing a picture, a chart, a plan, etc. Also, a computer system exemplary of contemporary practice in the art includes a body, a monitor, a keyboard, a tablet, and a stylus. The computer system can additionally include a printer, a plotter, a joystick, a light pen, etc.
A digitizer is a kind of an input device of the computer system, and includes a tablet and a stylus. The tablet is a rectangular plane type, and the pen-type stylus allows a user to move the user""s hand therewith on the tablet. Fine wires are spread under the X and Y coordinate input surface of the tablet. The tablet is an input device which can convert X and Y coordinate axes into the binary data of a computer by using the change of an electromagnetic field resulting from a moving object thereon. When a user moves the stylus on the tablet, a bottom board reads the coordinate, which is then transmitted to a screen memory area. At this time, when the user presses a tip of the stylus or buttons on the stylus, the command can be performed. A spring is located in the stylus. Thus, pressed on the bottom board, the tip can be inserted into the stylus.
The tip and the buttons of the stylus can serve as a mouse button. The user can set up the functions thereof by using software. For example, a tip, a first button, and a, second button can be respectively served as a left button click, a left button double click, and a right button click. Thus, when the user puts the stylus on the top surface of the tablet and presses the tip or the buttons of the stylus, the corresponding function is performed.
Since the buttons are positioned at a body portion of a slim and long stylus, the user should hold the stylus taking into consideration the position the buttons of the stylus. Further, the round pen-type stylus can change its direction while using it. Accordingly, the user can continuously change a holding form while using the stylus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,154 to Rodgers, et al. entitled Low Power, High Resolution Digitizing System With Cordless Pen/Mouse, disclose a cordless pen that emits a directional electric field from the tip of a conductive pen cartridge. The pen tip is capacitively coupled to embedded major X and major Y conductors in a digitizer tablet, which are scanned to determine which three X conductors and which three Y conductors have the greatest resulting signal levels. It is disclosed a microprocessor calculates the precise pen location from the three largest X signals and the three largest Y signals. A resistive path to ground is provided for each X and Y conductor. A plurality of minor conductors are disposed between each pair of X and Y conductors. A resistive divider circuit linearly distributes the voltage across the pair of conductors among the minor conductors therebetween, and improves the capacitively coupled signal levels and also xe2x80x9clocalizesxe2x80x9d noise signals. The frequency of the pen signal is modulated by several pen switches. It is disclosed circuitry in the digitizing tablet discriminates the pen frequency to decode the commands represented by switch closures between data scanning operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,323 to Hoffman entitled Interactive Overlay Driven Computer Display System, discloses an overlay driven display system incorporating a digitizer tablet and a stylus for providing coordinate signals to a computer which signals are representative of the coordinates of any point on the tablet selected by the position of the stylus on the tablet. The computer is coupled to a display device, such as a CRT, for displaying addressed data, such as graphic information. It is disclosed an overlay, randomly positionable on the digitizer tablet, contains areas relating to the position of tablet coordinate signals that correspond to the addresses of the data stored in the computer. Three triangularly positioned points on the overlay identify a unique triangle which relates the overlay to the unique angular relationship of the computer file. It is disclosed software is provided for translating the overlay points to the coordinate system of the digitizer tablet and for scaling the points to match the coordinate system of the digitizer tablet such that the file corresponding to the overlay is accessed and areas on the overlay, when selected by the angular relationship of the points on the stylus, are displayed on the CRT.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,698 to Forcier entitled Script/Binary-Encoded-Character Processing Method And System, discloses a pen-based computer that implements enable input, editing and other manipulation of handwritten script, ASCII text and drawings in a common document using a compatible internal representation of the data and a simple, consistent set of user control functions. These functions it is disclosed are invoked by the user with an intuitive and interactive set of user gestures which do not distract the user from the task of inputting or editing the document. A twostep gesture method it is disclosed avoids confusion between strokes and command gestures and allows similar gestures to be used for different functions within the same and different contexts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,295 to Agulnick, et al. entitled Control Of A Computer Through A Position-Sensed Stylus, disclose a notebook computer which is controlled by a stylus executing gestures on the computer screen. It is disclosed the stylus and the computer include complementary electronic circuitry by which the proximity of the stylus tip to the computer is sensed. The proximity sensing is used to detect to approach of the stylus tip to the computer screen, and gestural commands are then entered on the screen by moving the stylus. The entry of a command is terminated by removing the stylus tip from proximity with the screen, which is detected by the computer, which then implements the command. Alternative methods of implementing the commands it is disclosed include time-outs and command termination buttons.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,893 to Hansen, et al. entitled Method And Apparatus For Using Stylus-Tablet Input In a Computer System, disclose a stylus-aware computer system and method for processing information obtained by moving a stylus over a tablet of the type that displays images as well as inputs stylus information. It is disclosed as a user moves the stylus with respect to the tablet, the tablet generates outputs describing the position of the stylus with respect to the tablet. A tablet driver converts this data into standardized packet objects recognized by the computer system and sends the packet objects to a stroke manager. It is disclosed the stroke manager converts the package objects to stroke objects which represent the trajectory of the stylus with respect to the tablet at times between two transitions such as placing the stylus on the tablet and lifting the stylus off the tablet. The stroke manager notifies an application of the stroke object through an event queue. It is disclosed the application can then issue stroke commands which dictate how the stroke is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,301 to D""Aviau de Piolant entitled Graphic Drawing System, discloses a graphic drawing system that includes a drawing surface and a stylus capable of being moved over the surface in order to simulate plotted lines. It is disclosed the coordinates of the stylus in the plane of the surface are determined with respect to a reference, and a digital image can be created or updated using these coordinates. This digital image can be displayed on screen. It is disclosed an angle of the stylus with respect to the drawing surface can determine a line width in the image.
The present invention has as an objective providing a method for driving a pointing device of a computer system capable of performing the same function as a button click by moving a pointer to a specific direction without clicking a button of the pointing device.
To achieve the above and other objectives of the present invention, there is provided a method for driving a pointing device of a computer system. In the method, a pointer is moved so as to be demonstrated on a screen of a display device according to pointer data received from the pointing device. It is judged whether the pointer is positioned in a user interface area. It is also judged whether the position of the pointer is changed, if the pointer is positioned in a user interface area. If the position of the pointer is changed, an amount of the position change of the pointer is detected. It is judged whether the amount thereof corresponds to a button click of the pointing device. Finally, if the amount thereof corresponding to the button click of the pointing device, a same signal that a corresponds button click generates is generated.
In a method and apparatus for driving a pointing device of a computer system according to the present invention, a pointer is positioned in a user interface area, as an initial reference position, wherein a specific command such as an icon, a menu bar, and a menu button is performed. When the pointer is moved from the area in a specific direction over a predetermined distance, a quantity of the position that the pointer is moved is detected. When the quantity corresponds to a button click of the pointing device, the same pointing signal as that of the corresponding button click is generated. It is therefore possible to perform the same function as a button click by moving the pointer in the specific direction over the predetermined distance without using the button of the pointing device. That is, users can conveniently use the pointing device.
Also, in the present invention, a change in a holding form resulting from a click of a button of a stylus used in a pointing device such as a digitizer can be advantageously suppressed.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the amount of the position change of the pointer is dependent upon the moving distance and direction of the pointer.
According to the present invention, the pointing device desirably includes a tablet of a two-dimensional coordinate plane and a stylus which is operated on the tablet and indicates the position of the pointer.